INDIO – Now that the Riverside County Board of Supervisors has given food trucks the green light, the city of Indio is following suit with an ordinance of its own.

The Indio City Council is poised to approve Wednesday an ordinance that modifies regulations for pushcart and mobile food vendors operating within city limits.

Joe Lim, director of development services, said the proposed ordinance would allow vendors to be in one spot for a longer period of time. It would also update regulations addressing environmental and safety concerns, such as littering and trash pick-up.

Some of the details include:

-Food truck or pushcart vendors cannot operate on public streets within 300 feet of any school between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m on school days. The school principal can override this with his/her written permission.

-Vendors can only stay in a designated area for one hour and can't return to that same spot within a four-hour period. To change this, the vendor must receive a permit from the city.

-Food trucks or pushcarts can't operate on public streets within 100 feet of an intersection, crosswalk, traffic light or stop sign.

"These changes will compliment and be consistent with the recent changes to the way in which Riverside County inspects and licenses vending vehicles, be consistent with recent court rulings and expand the places in which the mobile food vendors are allowed to conduct business in the city of Indio," a staff report read.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance in December that lifts some of the restrictions on food trucks and pushcarts as of April 8.

In the past, food trucks needed special event permits, while carts — such as those used by hot dog vendors — could only sell prepackaged items that required little preparation.

The Palm Desert City Council passed the desert's first set of regulations in March, which prevent a food truck from parking within 750 feet of a conventional restaurant.

In Indian Wells, the City Council discussed food trucks at great length last month, but hasn't come to an agreement on how to regulate them.

City officials in Indio are also toying with the idea of hosting a food truck festival, possibly in the fall.

A preliminary proposal from KevaWorks Inc. — which promotes the city's Tamale Festival — said the event would cost the city about $30,000, but did not include possible revenue. The city plans to receive other proposals.

The City Council also is scheduled to discuss the following items Wednesday:

• An ordinance banning the use of single carryout plastic bags.

• An ordinance requiring the mandatory spaying/neutering of pitbull breeds within the city.